AD announced Marty McLaughlin has joined the group as its first chief marketing officer effective April 1. McLaughlin is charged with collaborating with AD’s members and boards to identify new areas of added value for its community, beyond the core functions of a buying and marketing group.

“We’re making an investment in this new leadership position to drive the collective imagination and strategy of AD’s next generation of offerings, all aimed at helping our independent members and supplier partners win and grow,” CEO Bill Weisberg said. “AD has a long, successful track record of delivering value-added program innovations, such as eCommerce Solutions, HR Services, market planning and private label brands. Our CMO will help us introduce new offerings and evolve existing programs even further, ensuring we’re keenly attuned to the voice of stakeholders in the process.”

McLaughlin most recently served as founder and owner of Mosaic Partners, a growth marketing and strategy consulting firm he started 20 years ago. Marty has acted as CMO and provided counsel to a range of organizations. Prior to founding Mosaic Partners, he worked for accounting firm Andersen doing business consulting for 15 years. He earned both his bachelor’s degree and MBA from Widener University in the Philadelphia region.

With an entrepreneurial mindset, McLaughlin was the driving force behind the Marketing Exchange, a Philadelphia-based community of marketing executives committed to the life-long pursuit of learning, contributing and thriving, which he launched in 2010.

“I feel so privileged to join a team with a record of excelling in the marketplace,” McLaughlin said. “I believe marketing must be authentic, grounded in value and evolve over time. I look forward to collaborating with the AD community to deliver value and to position AD and our members and supplier partners for continued growth.”